Venture Computer, the sole Southern African distributor for Lexmark International today announced that the National Committee for Information Technology Standards (NCITS) has approved a proposal to develop a standard for measuring the page yield of toner cartridges. The testing standards, which will be based on criteria established, reviewed and approved by HP, Lexmark and Xerox, along with input from other equipment manufacturers, bring consumers one step closer to being able to make more informed decisions about their toner-cartridge purchases.
"The acceptance of a standard testing methodology is significant, because the printing industry does not currently have a consistent way to determine the page yield of a cartridge,`` said Richard Fearon, Business Development Director at Venture Computer. "Currently, each cartridge manufacturer develops individual testing methodologies and publishes their own page-capacity claims. Obviously, this can be very confusing to the consumer. With the industry moving toward one standard, this is a big step in the right direction, since ultimately, this will help protect consumers by providing an accurate, stated page yield that will be consistent among manufacturers. This is absolutely the right thing to do for customers,`` added Fearon.
The impetus behind this group effort began in September 1999, with next step now being to finalise the standard, in order that customers are able to begin reaping the benefits of this NCITS decision.
About the National Committee on Information Technology Standards
The National Committee for Information Technology Standards (NCITS) is a development group accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). NCITS develops national standards and its technical experts participate on behalf of the United States through ANSI in the international standards activities of ISO/IEC JTC1, Information Technology. Information about NCITS and the toner-cartridge yield standards can be found at http://www.ncits.org/tc_home/w1htm/1420.html.
For further information, please contact Richard Fearon at tel. (011) 329 0999; fax (011) 792 7449; e-mail rfearon@venture.co.za
Share
Venture Computer
Venture Computer is the sole distributor in South Africa for Lexmark; and Tally; products including consumables, with offices in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and Port Elizabeth. They were chosen by CRNSA readers as "Distributor of the Year" in 1996, 1997 and in 1998.